Mumblings

Regulars know that I’m a fan of podcasts, particularly of NPR’s Fresh Air with Terry Gross. However, the cynic in me always checks for commercial “agendas” in radio programs/podcasts. We all know that many interviewees present themselves in order to sell their books, movies and CDs. So often the interviewer isn’t really interested and the interviewee tired of answering the same old questions. That’s rarely the case with Fresh Air but, like I said, I’m a cynic…

The last Pixar movie (Wall-E) didn’t score highly with me, so I wasn’t really looking forward to hearing about another movie promotion in the recent edition of Fresh Air. Have a listen and see if you can spot whether Terry Gross really saw/liked the movie and whether Pete Doctor is just selling the movie. Oh, and I’m going to see Up as soon as I have the opportunity….

I've been catching up with podcasts. Something tells me that I've subscribed to more than I can consume. This morning I listened to one of Jon Udell's Innovator interviews with Andrew Rasiej, who calls himself a Social Entrepreneur.

The interview hit home on a number of levels. One point which was particularly painful: If you have an opportunity to work with a 20 year old or a 50 year old in a project - work with the 20 year old. Sigh... That's a problem at two levels, first because I'm about to turn 62, and second because the network I'm trying to build has no one below 50. Supposedly if you're lifelong learner, you're an exception and you should look for others. Jon...

The discussion touched on a few positives for me as well, how the abundance social networking contrasts with the scarcity of email communications. I won't bother explaining - just listen.

I’ve been following OpenID and the efforts to simplify our username/password hell and build a common "Digital Identity” system. Thankfully, it appears that we’re getting close to finding agreement amongst the major industry players on how to move forward with OpenID, OAuth and other related solutions.

I use gmail and respect Google’s efforts to build a practical range of defenses against phishing as well as spam and viruses. Here is a screen capture of an email to one of the OpenId mailing lists by a Google Engineer.

Was that the Google’s OpenID April Fools Day operation at work? Or just another case of showing how we really need a digital identity system?

Mmmm... that's not what I call embedding...

A friend "innocently" pointed me to this Ars Technica article on e-books, in the full knowledge that it would destroy the rest of my day. He knew that I could not leave some article, which seemed to pretend that the e-book started when the writer joined Palm Media in 2002, alone without reply. The article is more a 5 page rant from a frustrated e-book publisher, rather than a balanced perspective on the history (and challenges) of the e-book.

The Voyager Company  developed an e-book format (called Expanded Books) in the early 1990's. I read Jurasic Park by Michael Crichton on my Powerbook in 1991. It had no DRM and a superb user interface which did not get in the way of the reader. It came compressed on a floppy disk, which installed on a Macintosh and ran on top of Apple's Hypercard.

Firmware Design (our company) published an oral history project on CD in 1993 using the Voyager Expanded Book Toolkit. Long Time Olden Time was an oral history of Aboriginal experiences in the Northern Territory, collected by Peter and Jay Read. Originally published as a book and separate audiotapes, it could be read on screen with its synchronised audio track.

Bob Stein, co-founder of the Voyager Company, is a professional maniac, who deserves (but probably isn't interested in) a lot credit for the first practical e-book. His connections with the Book Publishing Industry convinced Publishers to experiment. He is now the founder and a director of The Institute for the Future of the Book.

I enjoyed listening to a segment on Gordon Barton on Monday night's Late Night Live.

In the seventies I was an avid reader of Nation Review and a member of the Australia Party, both Gordon Barton initiatives. Those were heady days... I'll be putting Sam Everingham's book, Gordon Barton - Australia's Maverick Entrepreneur on my reading list.

Allen & Unwin, the book's publisher have chapter one online

Note to friends at Allen & Unwin, as I'm writing this, the book's information on your website seems unfinished (0 pages in the book according to the blurb).

I was helping Joy find a photo to use for her brand spanking new twitter account, and there it was...

I enjoy reading a little Dutch. WIllem, back in "the old country" is a great communicator even under the most difficult circumstances. Whatever goes on inside his head might not be totally revealed, but we can fill in he blanks.... And he has an unerring sense of humour which is motivating. Of course, there is another payback for me, nurturing a long lost love for the "Nederlanse taal"..

The Australian Broadcasting Corporation is one of our great institutions. The best of its programmes stimulate and challenge. I listen to many of its programmes as Podcasts on my iPhone or iPod, at a time of my choosing, in a place of my choosing.

Robyn Johnston has been a long time favourite presenter with eclectic musical choices. This month,on IntoTheMusic she's been playing a series of performances with Richard Gill, helping "discover" music such as Elgar's Enigma Variations. Next week's program is an interview with Leonard Cohen. Talk about my "sweet spots"...

I understand the disruption of the business model for musicians and the recording industry, brought about by downloads. I still pay for my music. Happily, we're seeing some more flexibility by the music industry, but Podcasts which include music are a challenge, still today. So IntoTheMusic is only available as streaming audio, not as a podcast.

But how many of us sit in front of a computer, listening to Richard Gill explaining Elgar's music? C'mon ABC, you recorded it, you must own the rights to this. Australian tax payers paid for it. Podcast it...

[Update 13 Feb 2009]

Just received an email from the executive producer of "Into the Music" with a template reply."Music copyright issues prevent us from podcasting/offering as download at present....".

Hallo... The Richard Gill series was an ABC Recording, ABC broadcast. Elgar's public performance rights must have expired by now.
I can see that there are programs in the series to which the ABC does not have broadcast rights, but at least allow MP3 downloads for your own recordings!

[update 16 Feb 2009]

Robyn from Into The Music just followed up to point out that it needs permission from the Sydney Symphony Orchestra. Perhaps separating the Sydney Symphony from the ABC some years ago was a bad move...

[MC] In the mean time, there is always the  Freecorder alternative to turn the show into the MP3 format